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South Memphis rapper
Young Dolph became a local hero with stern club bangers and cold punch lines served throughout a series of mixtapes that led to a nationwide breakthrough around 2014. After he hit the Billboard 200 with a series of four albums ranging from
King of Memphis (2016) to
Role Model (2018), he levelled up with his first Top Ten album, the
Key Glock collaboration
Dum and Dummer (2019), and continued with the similarly successful
Rich Slave (2020) and
Dum and Dummer 2 (2021). In the process, he racked up gold records with singles such as "100 Shots," "Major," and "RNB," and was featured on
O.T. Genasis' multi-platinum hit "Cut It."
Dolph was fatally shot in 2021.
Dolph, short for Adolph Thornton, Jr., was born in Chicago and raised in Memphis. He debuted in 2008 with the mixtape Paper Route Campaign. Subsequent releases like The Weed Album and South Memphis Kingpin brought him to 2012, when he dropped the first in a successful series of mixtapes dubbed High Class Street Music. By the time High Class Street Music 4 and the "Preach" single dropped in 2014,
Dolph was working with major-label producers including
Drumma Boy and
Zaytoven. Both provided tracks for his 2016 debut LP,
King of Memphis, which featured no guest artists. Thanks in part to
Dolph's audience-expanding featured role on
O.T. Genasis' preceding "Cut It," the set debuted at number 49 on the Billboard 200 chart.
A trio of mixtapes followed shortly thereafter.
Rich Crack Baby, the last of the three, entered the Billboard 200 upon release and included guest appearances by
Boosie Badazz,
2 Chainz,
Wale,
T.I.,
Gucci Mane, and
21 Savage. Another mixtape,
Gelato, followed in early 2017, containing the
Yo Gotti diss track "Play wit Yo' Bitch," as well as tracks featuring
Migos,
Wiz Khalifa, and
Lil Yachty.
Dolph's second studio album,
Bulletproof, was released in April of 2017 and reached number 36. Mere months later, he issued
Thinking Out Loud, which featured guest spots by
DRAM,
Gucci Mane,
2 Chainz, and
Ty Dolla $ign. The album was another success, hitting number 16 on the Billboard 200.
In early 2018,
Dolph issued the EP Niggas Get Shot Everyday, following up later that year with the
Key Glock collaboration "Major" and the solo track "By Mistake." The full-length
Role Model appeared later in the year and became
Dolph's highest-charting album yet, hitting number 15. In 2019,
Dolph joined frequent collaborator
Key Glock for the number eight hit
Dum and Dummer, the pair's first collaborative mixtape.
Dolph's seventh studio album,
Rich Slave, landed at number four in August 2020 and found him addressing issues of racism and inequality in America. Included on the album were guest appearances by
Megan Thee Stallion,
Key Glock, and
G Herbo. In 2021,
Dolph and
Glock reunited for
Dum and Dummer 2, a number eight hit, followed promptly by PAPER ROUTE iLLUMINATi, a showcase album for
Dolph's
Paper Route Empire label.
Young Dolph died on November 17, 2021 after he was shot at a Memphis bakery he was visiting while en route to a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway. He was 36 years old. ~ David Jeffries & Neil Z. Yeung